Jane Austen Book Club

I joined a book club!!!!

I found it on this handy dandy website called meetup.com (Thanks Chanel!!!) There are tons of groups that explore tons of interest or hobbies and they are in most in city you can imagine. Great way to meet new people and share similar interest !


As you might have guessed from the title of this post it's a Jane Austen Book Club!!!!

It's basically all things Jane Austen or Related to Jane Austen. Our First meeting was today and I really think it's gonna be awesome.

We are gonna start with The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler just to kinda get a premise of where our "leader" got the idea for this meet up.


Movie adaptations of books will also be explored and at our first meeting, books about Jane Austen's life were also a suggestion. Who knows, where it will all go!

If anyone in Nashville area is interested you can find all the info here.

I'm for one excited and can't wait to get started!!!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I re-read the 7th installment of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Like most books when you re-read them, it was better this time around. I think it's because when you read a book for the first time most people tend to rush through to get to the end, you gotta know what happens, right?

I find this to more true when it comes to series, especially the end.

You catch details you missed the first time.

At least this is how I read, anyway.

So it was better than the last time I read it but it still comes in second to my favorite.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!

If you haven't read this series, stop what you are doing and go to the library or the bookstore and start now! You will thank me for it, they really are good books. You will be on the edge of your seat from beginning to end!

5 stars! DUH!

Harry Potter, Christopher Walken, Michael Oher and Jackie Kennedy

To try and make up for my lack of reading and posts in July,

I fail, I know, I'm sorry,

I'm currently reading FIVE books!

1. Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

2. The Blind Side by Michael Lewis
*Facebook Monthly Reading Group Book for August!*

3. Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation by Ellen Fitzpatrick

4.The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

5. A to Z, Christopher Walken: The Man, The Movies, The Legend by Robert Schnakenberg

Water for Elephants

The story, Water for Elephants (by Sara Gruen) is told as a series of memories by Jacob Jankowski, a ninety-three year-old man who lives in a nursing home.

He tells his tale as a 23 year old, almost college grad, whose life is turned upside down by the tragic death of his parents.

With his life all planned the tragic death of his parents sent Jacob on downward sprial that lands him in the employ of , The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth,a traveling circus.

Based on somewhat true events, this historical fiction, tells of the day to day life for those who lived and worked on a traveling train circus in the 1930s. There are handful of unforgettable characters that make this novel really work.

I mean really, how can you have a traveling circus without the world's fattest woman, a tyrannical ring master, a beautiful showgirl and a temperamental yet lovable elephants?

One thing I really loved about this book was that at the beginning of each chapter (save a few) there were pictures from the real traveling circuses of the 1930's. Makes me want to go out and do some research on them. Pretty interesting subject, I think.

There is a movie coming out at some point, hopefully the screenwriters won't totally screw it up. You can go here to find the full list of cast and crew, Which includes Robert Pattinson, Resse Witherspoon and Christoper Waltz.

I really enjoyed this book and will probably read it again one day. It was a fairly quick and easy read. However, if you are the modest type, I should warn you..... there are some fairly sexual themes throughout the story.

You've been warned!!!

All in All, I thought it was fantastic!

5 stars!!

Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere

Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere was originally a novel by.... you guessed it,

Neil Gaiman!

I'm betting most of you don't know who Neil Gaiman is but I'm also betting that you actually do. In addition to writing Neverwhere, he also wrote Coraline, Stardust and The Graveyard Book.

He didn't, however, write Neverwhere, the graphic novel.
Mike Carey and Glenn Fabry did. They just took his novel and added pictures.

At first I was unsure whether or not to read the graphic novel because I have the novel sitting on the book shelf just waiting to be read. But it was the last week of May and I had only read 2 books and I can read graphic novels in one day. So I read it.

I didn't really like it. I don't know if it was the gruesome pictures or the somewhat confusing story line. Either way, I didn't like it.

Which makes me nervous about reading the actually novel. Which I was excited about...
now I'm just nervous and slightly scared.

I guess I'll just have to read it and see.

2 of 5 stars!

The Last Song

Ok, Ok, I know I said I would be reading Lucky Man next but in my defense I didn't lie completely. I am reading it I'm about half way through and hope to post on it by Friday, but I got distracted.
I got distracted by Nicholas Sparks and all his heartache. I finally read The Last Song and I have to say I was slightly disappointed. And this is why......

After reading author's notes in the back of the book I learned that Sparks custom wrote the novel and screenplay for Miley Cyrus. He wrote the screenplay so filming could begin before he started the novel. Is it just me or does that seem unfair?

Despite that though the novel wasn't too bad, not his best writing though. There always seemed to be something off about the story, that something I still haven't figured out. Unlike most of his novels this one was rather hard to get through, I can usually read a Sparks novel in about 3-6 hours. The Last Song took me about a week! : (

Like all of his novel's their is death and heartbreak in the end and it's pretty obvious who will die by the first half of the novel but it's not the typical type of character he "kills" off. One thing I did love about the novel thought was the focus on a father's relationship with his children rather than a romantic one, that he typically writes about.

Though I will probably never read this book again and would recommend it to someone only if there were 1( nothing else to read , 2) the biggest Nicholas Sparks fan in the world, 3) in love with Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana or 4) like me they simple can't resist reading about romance for lack of their own love life, I will still give this novel 3 of 5 stars.

Now to finish Lucky Man and continue my current obsession Michael J. Fox!

Marley and Me

"I laughed, I cried, It moved me Bob."
--Larry the Cucumber



I have fallen in love with this story! John Grogan has a way of simple bringing you in and making you feel like you were actually there. This story is heartwarming, heartbreaking, wonderful, rolling on the floor funny and balling your eyes out sad. It will take you through every emotion know to man but it will be worth it.

Like Julia and Julia, I watched the movie first, so through out the entire novel I had Owen Wilson in my head. And I have to say Owen Wilson in my head isn't so bad, he can be pretty funny! If you are an animal lover, especially a dog lover, you will love this book.

I'm sure you have heard by now, unless you live under a rock and if you are living on a rock you probably aren't reading something on internet so let's just safely assume you aren't under a rock, you know this story has a somewhat sad ending. But read it anyway, I wasn't sure I would be able to handle it and in some ways I wasn't. Reading about the end of Marley's long and happy life I couldn't help but think of my own puppy and hoping that last day with him with be a long way off. I bawled like a big fat baby!!! But it was worth it, this is one of the greatest stories I have ever read and will read it again and again.

If you haven't seen this movie or read the book I suggest you do both. If you have seen the movie but not read the book, the screen play stays pretty true to the story. All Marley's antics actually happened and there are tons more just like them!

5 of 5 stars!!!

OH Yeah, if you are interested in reading more about Marley or seeing photos check out John Grogan's page, there are also links to other Marley Books.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

"One time, there this this lake and uh, it was right outside of town. We used to go fishin' and swimmin' and canoein' in it, and uh this one November this flock o'ducks came in and landed on that lake, and uh the tempurature dropped so fast that the lake froze right there and then the ducks, they flew off ya see and took the lake with them and uh, now they say that lake is over in Georgia..." Idgie Threadgoode


Never have a read a story with the most interesting and charming characters like this novel. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg is one of the most heartwarming novels I have read in a long time. I have loved this movie for years and never realized it was a book until a random viewing to the Simpsons. That's right I said the Simpsons! Who would have thought I would ever read a book that I discovered because of the Simpsons?



Apu: Quick, name your favorite movie, book and food.
Manjula: The answer to all three is Fried Green Tomatoes!


Like the movie, this books leaves you with a happy feeling. One of the appeals for me was reading about another time, a small town family as they grow through the good and the bad and the changing world around them. The characters are so easy to sympathizes with and you can't help but cheer for Evelyn as she learns of the Threadgoode family and learns more about herself than ever thought possible. If you haven't read this book or seen the movie, they are a must!!! Go to your locale library or movie rental place now! You will thank me later. You can also find the movie on Netflix instant streaming right now, so go watch it! I know I will!

I give this book a big 5 of 5 stars and I"m already planning to read it again one day!!!!
Are you reading yet?

Up Next, Marley & Me by John Grogan and Walk Away the Pounds: The Breakthrough 6-week program that helps you burn fat, tone muscle and feel great without Dieting By Leslie Sansone.
I hope to start the Walk Away the Pounds program tomorrow, if you haven't discovered her walking dvd/videos you should, they are great for anyone wanting to get fit or stay fit.